Outsider's Guide to Human Affairs
by Kajhe
Summary: A user-friendly directory of human (Earth Systems Alliance) worlds with basic information, for the benefit of cataloguers and star-chart enthusiasts, as well as basic information concerning human affairs.
1. Introduction

"…this work is a comprehensive guide to human-related affairs, intended to serve as a starting point for those engaging in the academic study of human affairs. As such, apart from chapters dedicated to a summary of human history, politics, culture, and society, this volume also includes a directory of worlds under the jurisdiction of the Earth Systems Alliance (and as such, excludes those independent human colonies that are not affiliated with the human governing body), coupled with basic pertinent information. In addition, I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Godfroy of the University of Elysium for his help with the difficult task of gathering information form many disparate – and sometimes obscure – sources, as well as for his aid in contextualizing the information. I should also like to acknowledge the contribution of my assistant, Aleena Vasir, who was instrumental to the publishing of this book.

Dedicated to the continued improvement of interspecies relations, and especially to out human friends, who only recently joined us, and in the hope that their presence may continue to enrich our experience in this galaxy."

 _-Tristana Dantius, Professor of Sociology and History at Erana University of Thessia, 2185_


	2. A

**Altair** - _G-Cloud, Altair System_

 _Colony Founded: 2153 CE_

 _Population: 5,000_

 _Capital: Mystras_

 _A small and unremarkable world, remembered best for an anti-turian pogrom in 2159 that claimed seventeen lives and resulted in an embarrassment for the Systems Alliance in Citadel Council circles. Violence broke out following claims of preferential treatment being showed on a number of turian contractors visiting the planet to appraise its mineral deposits for possible extraction operations. The hostilities were also exacerbated by rumors that one of the turians present had participated in the occupation of Shanxi (which were later found to be untrue). It remains unclear which side was the first to open fire, and accounts of the riot are contradictory and muddled. As recently as 2181, controversy was renewed following the observance of a memorial service at the site of the massacre, where a candidate affiliated with the Terra Firma party made statements to the effect that the turian deaths had been "the result of self-defense... a testament to the bravery of the colonists." The comments prompted the Turian Hierarchy to release a statement expressing its "severe disappointment", while protests took place outside the human embassy on the Citadel._

 _Aside from the infamous riot, the world has been described as "impoverished"; its population has been steadily declining since its founding in the 2150s, when the colony boasted a population as high as 9,000 at its peak. A relative lack of resources, conditions that render the planet inhospitable outside of pressure-sealed environments, and the cessation of Alliance incentives in favor of promoting other colonies have all led to decline._

* * *

 **Akuze** _\- Delta Cephei, Goodricke System_

 _Colony Founded: 2176 CE (re-established in 2179)_

 _Population: 4,762_

 _Capital: Charax_

 _Situated on a remote system near the edge of the galaxy, Akuze was first discovered by unmanned survey probes during the mid-2150s. Although initial readings showed it to be habitable, its then-distant location precluded it from being considered for development. As such, the system remained virtually unknown until 2174, when the Alliance opened up the bidding process for colonization rights, which were subsequently awarded to the Federative Republic of Brazil, a state on Earth._

 _However, the now-infamous colonization attempt ended in disaster, when a pioneering team encountered a thresher maw on the planet's sandy planitia (it should be noted that this was the first instance of a human encounter with such creatures) and in their panic led it back to the main settlement. Following approximately a week of radio silence, the Alliance dispatched a patrol vessel to investigate the colony's status; unfortunately, the Marine team would meet with the same fate as that of the colonists, with only a handful of Marines surviving the encounter._

 _Following the incident, the Alliance deemed the venture unsafe, and abandoned the colony; meanwhile, news of the so-called 'Slaughter of Akuze' (as the media came to dub it) caused a panic on various human colonies, where it was feared that thresher maws might have entrenched themselves in, waiting to attack unsuspecting colonists (these fears would prove to be unfounded)._

 _In 2178, the European Union petitioned the Alliance for the rights to colonize the planet on behalf of one of its constituents (the French Republic), which it proceeded to obtain without significant opposition. A new settlement - Charax - was established, constructed on a mountainous region overlooking the basin on which the first settlement had been located; the site was selected due to the inability of thresher maws to burrow into bedrock. In 2184, construction on an astronomical observatory - the Plateau de Baydar Interferometer - was initiated, with the planet's location at the rim of the galaxy listed as "ideal" for extra-galactic observation._

* * *

 **Amaterasu -** _Styx Theta, Takamahara System_

 _Colony Founded: 2155 CE_

 _Population: 6,300 (permanent)_

 _Capital: Tattorin City_

 _True to its namesake, Amaterasu is a scorching world: its surface is inhospitable to most forms of life, due to its thin atmosphere and resultant temperature extremes. The planet boasts only one permanent settlement, although there also exist various isolated research and prospecting stations. Despite its seemingly barren surface, Amaterasu boasts significant reserves of valuable palladium and platinum, as well as large deposits of water ice in its polar regions, nestled away inside perpetually shadowed craters and valleys. The plentiful availability of water ice has allowed the colony to develop a healthy hydroponics industry in lieu of traditional agriculture, reducing its dependency on off-world imports, whereas its plentiful amounts of palladium and platinum have afforded it a relative prosperity disproportionate to its small size and obscure location._

 _The colony's economy is further bolstered by its proximity to the System Alliance's Czarnob_ _ó_ _g Fleet Depot in the Jagiellon System, serving as a significant supplier of raw materials and foodstuffs._

* * *

 **Arcturus Station -** _Arcturus Stream, Arcturus_

 _Constructed: 2162 CE (formally occupied in 2156)_

 _Population: 45,000 (permanent)_

 _Arcturus Station, commonly referred to as simply Arcturus, is the capital of the Earth Systems Alliance, as well as the headquarters of the Allianc Navy. All three branches of the Alliance's federal government are centered on the station: the bicameral Alliance Parliament (legislative), the Office of the Prime Minister (executive/), and the Alliance Supreme Court (judicial). In addition, Arcturus is home to the headquarters of various governmental agencies, non-profit groups, trade unions, lobbying groups, think-tanks, and foreign embassies._ _Despite the overwhelming governmental and military presence on the station, a locally elected mayor and an 11-member committee have governed Arcturus since 2178. However, the Alliance Parliament maintains supreme authority over the station, and may overturn local laws. Residents of the station elect a non-voting, at-large delegate to the lower house of Parliament, the Representative Assembly; however, the station has no representation the Parliament's upper house, the Senate._

 _Construction on the station began in the early 2150s, and upon its completion in 2162, was granted the distinction of becoming the seat of the Alliance government following an assessment of its strategic importance. Its importance to the Alliance's military strategy lies in that, firstly, any hostile force wishing to access Earth's solar system (and a number of other valuable colonies) would first have to pass through the Arcturus relay, making it a valuable choke-point for anyone attempting a defense; secondly, because the Arcturus relay connects to most important Alliance colonies, this affords the Alliance Navy the ability to respond rapidly in the event of any coordinated attack on any of its worlds. The First, Fourth, and Fifth Fleet are all stationed in the vicinity of Arcturus. There also exist a number of military bases scattered throughout the Arcturus system, on otherwise unremarkable and uninhabitable Eirene and Alyconeus._


	3. B

**Bekenstein -** _Serpent Nebula, Boltzmann System_

 _Colony Founded: 2157 CE_

 _Population: 5.3 million_

 _Population (Orbital Stations): 5,000_

 _Capital: Milgrom_

 _Bekenstein was first discovered in 2155 by the survey probe 'Allectus-3', during the search for colonization prospects beyond the then-current scope of Systems Alliance space. It took two years until the colonization rights could be awarded to the European Union, and the first wave of colonists did not arrive until mid-2157. Initially, the Alliance planned for Bekenstein's economy to focus on agricultural production, due to its status as a garden world; this changed following the First Contact War [see below]. The planet attracted significant immigration from Earth in the early 2160s, and combined with aggressive Alliance and colonial parenthood incentives, its population rose rapidly._

 _The colony is divided into 25 administrative zones, named 'departments'. Its population of 5.3 million makes it the Alliance's second-largest colonial holding, and assures it a high level of representation in the Arcturus Parliament. Humans make up 99.5% of the world's total population, and approximately 1.2 million individuals out of its total population reside in Milgrom. The colony has the Systems Alliance's second largest economy by nominal GDP, and is the Alliance's largest exporter (excluding intra-Alliance trade).  
_

 _ **Economy:**_

 _Following the First Contact War and the beginning of human integration into galactic society, the Alliance sought to establish a colony that would become humanity's first extra-solar manufacturing base, an outpost that would enable mankind to ease its way into the lucrative galactic market already dominated by well-established conglomerates. The garden world of Bekenstein was chosen, owing to both its closeness to the Citadel and to its relatively plentiful amount of natural resources. The colony saw initial success in its early years: however, once the novelty of human-produced goods wore off, the colony suffered major setbacks, with most sectors of its economy reporting significant declines. For the rest of the decade, Bekenstein continued to limp on, its annual growth slowing dramatically._

 _In 2169, Bekenstein's manufacturers planned a significant shift in future production towards high-end luxury and consumer goods. In 2170, panels of Alliance officials, scholars, and business leaders held planning sessions on the production of such goods as microelectronics, mechatronics, optical instruments, and consumer electronics. This shift in emphasis meant an immediate decline in sectors such as heavy industry, agriculture, and resource extraction. In subsequent years, the colonial administration succeeded in approving a number of measures aimed at attracting investment and promoting growth, such as the lowering of the corporate taxation rate,_ _the provision of subsidies and investment capital to companies willing to locate on-world, and the establishment of various special economic zones. By 2177, the efforts were beginning to pay off, and Bekenstein experienced what has been called its 'economic miracle', becoming the foremost among the 'Extra-solar Giants'. The planet was ranked as the best world in Alliance space for doing business based on its economy and regulatory environment, ranked by the 'Economic Development 2186 Report' published by the Citadel Banking Group.  
_

 _Hand-in-hand with its industrial development, Bekenstein has increasingly become a center of finance and commerce; in addition, the planet boasts a growing tourist industry, and as of 2185, the colonial administration, in conjunction with various investors and development firms, have drafted plans to develop a section of the planet's southern coastline into a resort destination._

 _The new wealth resulted in large investments in modernizing the colony's infrastructure and cities. The growing success of the colony's economy encouraged_ _entrepreneurship and risk-taking, qualities that had been dormant during its decade-long economic slump. However, this has come at what many critics say is a great cost: Bekenstein has the highest suicide rate of all Alliance colonies. An extremely competitive education system and job-market, combined with a poorly-funded social safety net, have prompted a rapid increase in suicides since the late 2170s. The colony's reputation is further tarnished by its inordinately high rates of alcohol and drug abuse, self-reported depression, and a growing income inequality.  
_

 _ **Military:**_

 _Located at the heart of stable Citadel space, the colony's defenses are comparatively light, consisting of a contingent of lightly-armed starships and a small number of Alliance service members stationed at various surface and orbital bases. However, 'private security' (mercenary) presence on the planet is relatively high. Curiously enough, Bekenstein has one of the highest representation rates in the Alliance military, with enlistment rates in the last decade consistently topping that of most colonies. Critics have attributed this to Bekenstein's ultra-competitive economy, which they claim leaves those individuals unable to "keep up" with little choice in terms of employment.  
_

 _ **Education:**_

 _Education for primary and secondary levels is mostly supported by the planetary government, although due to the planet's cut-throat competitive environment, many of those who can afford it opt for private schooling._

 _Bekenstein is also notable for being host to one of only two human institutions of higher learning outside of Earth's solar system: the prestigious_ _Rheinisch-Koenig Polytechnic University, established in 2164 and boasting a student body of 50,190. Unlike its counterpart in Elysium, the institution specializes in scientific research, advanced engineering_ _, and business programs, to the point of excluding most other disciplines. There have been calls over the years to create faculties for other fields, particularly in the arts and humanities, though the administration has yet to acquiesce. The institution is renowned for its collaboration with industry and partners, as well as the commercialization of intellectual assets.  
_

 _Some recent industry partnerships enabled by the_ _Rheinisch-Koenig Polytechnic University include research and licensing agreements with the Sirta Foundation, Aldrin Labs, Ariake Technologies, Cord-Hislop Aerospace, and the Armali Council.  
_

* * *

 **Benning -** _Arcturus Steam, Euler System_

 _Colony Founded: 2153 CE_

 _Population: 2.25 million_

 _Capital: Joughin_

 _Discovered in the first wave of surveys sent out to scour for colonization prospects in 2150, Benning saw heavy development and intensive colonization early in its history, due to its status as a garden world and its proximity to the construction site of what would become Arcturus Station. While most raw material was extracted from nearby bodies such as Yukawa and Alyconeus, it was on Benning that these materials were processed and assembled into usable components; furthermore, the planet's farms were instrumental in feeding the thousands of labor crews necessary for the completion of the project. Its importance did not diminish following the completion of Arcturus Station in 2162: the planet continues to supply the inhabitants of Arcturus Station and Oliveira with necessities such as water and foodtstuffs, while also becoming an important center for starship manufacture and maintenance. Furthermore, a large portion of the workers who participated in the construction of Arcturus Station would permanently settle on Benning, boosting its population. Its economic vitality allowed it to become the first of the 'extra-solar giants', a term applied to human colonies that underwent rapid industrialization and maintained exceptionally high growth rates (in excess of 8 percent a year) following their establishments.  
_

 _Benning finds itself occupying a strategically important position, and defense of the planet is considered a high priority. Were Benning to succumb to an occupying force, Arcturus Station's status as Alliance Navy headquarters would become untenable, due to logistical concerns. As such, the planet boasts a number of military bases, as well as an array of orbital defense cannons; the First, Fourth, and Fifth Fleet - all stationed in the vicinity of Arcturus Station - are themselves only minutes away from Benning at any given time.  
_

* * *

 **Blissful Delight -** _Aries Constellation, Teegarden's Star_

 _Colony Founded: 2156 CE  
_

 _Population: 10,140  
_

 _Capital: Cantor Base  
_

 _Formerly known as 'Belgrano 61', Blissful Delight is the second-largest satellite of the gas giant Menander. Covered by lush tropical forests, the surface of the moon is habitable, if quite uncomfortable due to its heat and humidity. Its rather poetic name is derived from statements made by researchers and explorers upon the realization that a seemingly large amount of its flora held potent psychoactive properties. A number of these have managed to become popular in Alliance space (at least, among those who can afford them), in particular the substances dubbed 'soma' and 'ichoryite'. Various research stations - funded through subsidies and motivated by Alliance-granted incentives - were established on the moon in the late 2150s, dedicated to cataloguing and studying the native flora for possible pharmaceutical applications. The largest of these stations would develop into permanently inhabited settlements by the early 2170s.  
_

 _Despite being covered by vegetation, Blissful Delight's acidic soil acts as a barrier to significant agricultural development, to the effect that most of its food has to be imported from off-world; similarly, its scarcity of mineral resources limits the scope of its economic development._ _ _As such, the colony's economy is based on the extraction of timber, small-scale cultivation of various 'recreational' plants for off-world sale, pharmaceutical and biotechnological research, and a small service sector._ In recent years, the colony's administration has undergone efforts to re-brand itself as a tourist destination, in attempts to diversify its economy following the closure of a number of research stations. The moon's fauna is noted for being particularly non-threatening - docile, even -, and this has been capitalized on to promote ecotourism, to the displeasure of critics advocating for stricter controls to ensure the preservation of the satellite's unique biosphere.  
_


	4. C

**Chasca -** _Maroon Sea, Matano System_

 _Colony Founded: 2183 CE_

 _Population: 300_

 _Capital: None_

 _Chasca is a large, low density world, fundamentally similar to its neighbor Inti. Like Inti, Chasca is tidally-locked to its sun, Matano. The same side always faces the star, resulting in a scorching sunlit side, and a frozen dark side. However, there exist temperate areas around the terminator, with temperatures averaging 30 Celsius. Combined with a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere, this slender band of habitable terrain allows for human habitation. Initially, the Alliance seemed eager to commence colonization efforts: however, following the geth incursions of 2183, the plans were put on hold, and it was only recently that interest in the venture was renewed, due largely to the steady pace of development in neighboring Intai'Sei in Argos Rho._

 _Chasca's ring is unique: it appears to be a massive piece of "installation art" of unknown origin. The rings made of small pieces of synthetic material, almost invisible from space. From the surface, they catch and scatter the light of Matano in picturesque ways. Efforts to date the ring have proved inconclusive, as have efforts to identify its makers._

* * *

 **Cuervo** - _Hades Nexus, Amarna System_

 _Colony Founded: 2169 CE_

 _Population: 8,100_

 _Capital: Castro Marim_

 _The smallest satellite of the ice giant Nykodym, Cuervo prospered quietly for more than half a decade following its establishment, raking in a healthy profit from a combination of helium-3 mining on its parent planet and agricultural activity centered on its own temperate equatorial regions. Unfortunately, the colony's location in the Skyllian Verge made it a vulnerable target for raids following rising tensions between the Alliance and the batarians. The colony was subjected to a particularly violent attack during the course of the Skyllian Blitz, in which pirates and slavers retreating from Elysium revenged themselves on the small colony, which up to that point, had boasted a population of up to 13,000. Following the massacre, the colony saw high levels of emigration, and only generous Alliance incentives - as well as promises to enlarge the Alliance garrison on-site and increase the frequency of patrols - kept the colony from being abandoned._

 _Despite this, the Alliance's insistence on maintaining Cuervo has been controversial. Critics allege that despite the large endowments and incentives showered on the colony, Cuervo has been unable to recover from the raid, pointing to its infrastructure, which has yet to be completely restored, as well as its economic output, which has yet to reach pre-2176 levels. The heart of the criticism has been that the Alliance is maintaining Cuervo - despite its ailing status, and with its population at risk - solely as a means to stake out a presence in the region, a claim which the Alliance wholeheartedly denies. There have been no subsequent raids on the colony since the Skyllian Blitz._

* * *

 **Cyrene -** _Sentry Omega, Bosporan System_

 _Colony Founded: 2163 CE_

 _Population: 9,800_

 _Capital: Eupator-Dynamis_

 _Cyrene is a satellite of Idmon, a typical hydrogen-helium gas giant. Established as a trading outpost at the fringes of Systems Alliance influence, the colony's economy has historically revolved around trading, exchanging goods from Citadel space for products from the Terminus Systems. In spite of its remoteness, the colony has proven valuable to the Alliance in various ways: firstly, it serves as a vantage point from which to keep watch over the various disunited factions of the Terminus Systems, while allowing the Alliance to profit from regional commerce and extend a hegemony over the area to counter historical batarian influence. Such is the colony's strategic value that in 2175, in a display of realpolitik - and amidst some controversy -, the Alliance provided funds, technical assistance, and expertise to a local krogan warlord (and self-proclaimed 'emperor'), in exchange for assurances that the poorly-defended, far-flung colony would come under his 'protection' (in exchange for a continued 'fee'). To date, Arcturus still grants annual subsidies to the colony's administration, to ensure that continued protection can be purchased. Together with Watson in Sigurd's Crade, Cyrene is one of the few Alliance colonies located in Terminus space that has managed to attain a healthy level of development._

 _Cyrene is also notable for being the world in which an individual by the name of Harmonassus, a founding figure of a controversial sect known as 'the Star Kingdom', supposedly began his ministry (according to the faithful). Adherents of the sect - often referred to as Harmonites - consider the moon to be holy: as such, the colony has become a center of pilgrimage, with a growing number of shrines and monuments commemorating the life and ministry of the religious teacher. While the steady stream of pilgrims and morbid curiosity-seekers has indisputably increased the rate of economic development, it has resulted in religious tensions between the colonists and the itinerant faithful._


	5. D

**Delicass -** _Tien Kwan Cluster, Aleph System_

 _Colony Founded: 2159 CE_

 _Population: 87,713_

 _Capital: Guilford Base_

 _Discovered at the very advent of the First Contact War by survey probes, initial readings of the planet were promising enough that - as soon as the political climate allowed for it -, the Alliance Geographic Service dispatched Naval Exploration Flotilla to appraise the world's potential for habitability in greater detail. As was the case with Eden Prime, the prospectors encountered a world particularly favorable to Earth-based lifeforms, although relatively unremarkable in terms of mineral wealth. This steered the colony down a predominantly agrarian path. Unlike Eden Prime, however, Delicass' proximity to the Citadel and to the rest of Council space allowed it to prosper greatly, especially in recent years. The cause of this economic growth has been the growing appreciation for human foodstuffs among the various races of Citadel space (with the obvious exclusion of the turians), which has turned the mostly rural colony into a major exporter._

 _Culturally, Delicass is considered somewhat of an anomaly. The farming world is one of the few worlds in Alliance space in which a majority of the population (in this case, 61%) identifies as adherents of a religion, according to demographic polls. Furthermore, the Terra Firma party enjoys considerable support on the planet, with Delicass' representatives in the Alliance Parliament having been from said party consistently for decades. This supposed conservatism has resulted in a mildly unfavorable view of the colony by outsiders, even within the Alliance. Delicass' colonial administration has in recent years attempted to re-brand itself in an effort to combat this perception, touting the world as a destination for "culinary tourism"._

 **Demeter -** _Local Cluster, Tau Ceti_

 _Colony Founded: 2152 CE_

 _Population: 316,083_

 _Capital: Paphlagon_

 _Demeter bears the distinction of having been humanity's first extra-solar colony, settled using conventional FTL ship-drive technology. Planning for the colony had been in progress for about two decades, until the excavation of the Prothean archives in 2148 led to the discovery of the Charon Relay and mass effect technology, which diverted attention away from the ambitious project. At this point, such a large amount of funds had been invested on the endeavour that it was decided to go along with the original plan. The first colonists arrived on Demeter in 2152, at the same time as colonies were being founded in reaches of space previously thought to be inaccessible, suddenly made possible by the newly-discovered mass relay network_

 _Because of its distance from Earth's relay, Demeter has become somewhat of an idyllic backwater, removed from virtually all major shipping lanes. It compensates for this relative isolation by being self-sufficient. Surprisingly, this isolation - combined with Demeter's pristine landscape and panoramic views - has in recent years attracted significant amounts of retirees, earning it moniker 'the Retirement Planet'. In addition, the wood from its native tree-analogues is considered especially fine material for wood-working, which has allowed a small, quality-oriented wood-crafting industry to develop on-world._

 _In geographic terms, the greater part of the planet is rugged mountainous country, though it contains many fertile and temperate valleys on which settlements have been constructed. During the 2160s, great effort was made to connect various settled valleys together, either by taking advantage of pre-existing mountain passes, or constructing highway tunnels._

 **Dobrovolski:** _Hades Nexus, Pamyat System_

 _Colony Founded: 2174 CE_

 _Population: 51,000_

 _Capital: Korzukhin Station_

 _Following the planet's discovery by survey probes from Cuervo in 2171, the Russian Federation swiftly petitioned the Systems Alliance for the rights to colonize the newly-discovered world, acting on the belief that initial readings suggested a rich presence of heavy metals and minerals. Owing to the general barrenness and the uninhabitable nature of the planet, the Russian Federation secured colonization rights without significant competition, and proceeded to construct several settlements and mining outposts. Prospectors soon discovered rich reserves of various metals and minerals, including palladium, platinum, and iridum, which afforded the colony a steady stream of income and colonists in the form of miners and prospectors. Various bodies in the Pamyat System - namely Volkov and Komarov - were soon found to contain abundant amounts of strategic metals, further contributing to the colony's growth._

 _In 2177, a prospecting team following an aluminum vein in the Komarovo basin discovered the sizeable presence of element zero (eezo). The prospecting team initially kept quiet about their finding, in an effort to hoard as much of the material as they could. However, rumors soon started to spread and were confirmed shortly, and Dobrovolski's first eezo rush began. Some eezo-seekers made significant amounts of profit, before the arrival of larger companies ousted most of the independent prospectors. However, it was the merchants that reaped in the most profits, and the rush jump-started a lucrative eezo mining-and-refining industry spearheaded by the local Altai Mineral Works. To date, Dobrovolski remains a major supplier of eezo to the Alliance, making the far-flung colony strategically invaluable._

 _A second eezo rush occurred in 2182, when survey teams on Gei Hinnom - in the nearby Sheol system - discovered a massive Prothean mausoleum, and, incidentally, large deposits of eezo. Due to being the nearest eezo-refining facility to Sheol, as well as the closest source of basic supplies, Dobrovolski profited immensely._


	6. Earth

**Earth -** _Local Cluster, Solar System_

 _Population: 11.4 billion_

 _Population (Orbital Stations): 250,000_

 _The homeworld of humanity, Earth is entering a golden age. The resource wealth of a dozen colonies and settled systems flows back to what humans fondly refer to as 'Mother Earth', sparking a cultural and artistic renaissance as well as ushering in an era of unprecedented economic development and overall prosperity.  
_

 _Earth is still divided into various nation-states, and the planet proper is considered a special administrative zone: strictly speaking, it is not under the banner of the Systems Alliance, as - in theory - it is the Alliance that derives its power from the consent of Earth's signatory nations, who retain autonomy over their own affairs. Having no unified government, Earth has no representation in the Alliance Parliament, although its more influential states are allowed a certain number of 'observer' seats; however, neither are any of Earth's states bound to follow the laws passed by the Alliance Parliament, and while most nations opt to do so for purposes of standardization/convenience, there have been exceptions. Similarly, the Alliance rarely acts unilaterally, and - though not required to - usually consults with Earth's various states, especially the ones that signed the original bill.  
_

 _The Alliance Navy's Third Fleet is stationed in the Solar System, which has led to it being popularly dubbed 'the Home Fleet'. Officially, the Third Fleet's mission is to defend the various colonial holdings scattered throughout the Solar System, as the defense of Earth is technically the responsibility of Earth's states, most of whom field military forces of varying size and strength.  
_

 _Earth is indisputably the largest economy in human space, with its output in all sectors being greater than that of Bekenstein, Benning, Elysium, and Intai'Sei - the so-called 'Extra-solar Giants' - combined: its economy is well-diversified, and its infrastructure is highly developed, although economic performance varies among individual states. While the lack of a unified government or economy makes it difficult to point to concrete figures, certain generalizations can be made: for instance, the service sector has become the predominant sector of most of Earth's economies, with the planet becoming a major center of interstellar commerce, finance, education, and tourism. In addition, a great number of firms and companies on the galactic stage (most of them human-owned) are headquartered there, including the Sirta Foundation, Eldfell-Ashland Energy, Binary Helix, and Jormangund Technologies. Other major sectors include the defense industry, the biomedical/pharmaceutical sector, and the information & communications technology sector.  
_

 _In recent years, certain economic sectors - especially resource extraction and heavy manufacturing - have faced sharp declines, with observers attributing this to the exportation of operations off-world (incidentally coinciding with renewed efforts aiming for environmental restoration). However, agriculture continues to be an important contributor to the planet-wide economy: Earth is a major exporter of various fine 'vintage' products, which are renowned throughout Alliance space.  
_

 _For all the progress that has been made, 'Mother Earth' continues to be plagued by a number of issues. Its less-developed nations are still afflicted by poverty, instability, and ecological depletion. Even in the more developed nations, Earth's cities are blighted by the presence 'mega-slums', housing millions of urban poor and becoming synonymous with widespread social ills such as unemployment, high crime rates, drug usage, gang warfare, and urban decay. Furthermore, the people of Earth continue to live with the side-effects of the environmental damage inflicted during the 20th and 21st centuries: sea levels have risen over two meters, and violent weather is common in certain regions, as is smog and acid rain. Other problems include the prevalence of xenophobic sentiments, religious fanaticism, income inequality, and civil disorder._


	7. E

**Eden Prime -** _Exodus Cluster, Utopia System_

 _Colony Founded: 2152 CE_

 _Population: 4.2 million_

 _Capital: Constant_

 _This idyllic verdant world was one of the first human colonies established beyond the Charon relay. Discovered roughly at the same time as Terra Nova, the planet's fertile biosphere and unusually accommodating environment drew heavy immigration from Earth and attracted significant development shortly after its establishment. As a consequence of its reputation as a paradise, immigration remains strong, especially among Alliance veterans in early retirement who have settled there in farming plots promised for their military service. Although not as developed as other of the 'Extra-solar Giants', the economy of Eden Prime has consistently shown robust growth, with agricultural ventures and tourism being the pillars of its economic base. The colony's administration has famously limited resource extraction and manufacturing activity to a bare minimum, and enacted measures ensuring sustainable and organized growth - no doubt to preserve the world's status as a pristine refuge.  
_

 _Eden Prime was the target of a coordinated geth attack in 2183, notable for being the first sighting of geth outside the Perseus Veil in more than three centuries. The events were spearheaded by the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius, with the aim of recovering a functioning Prothean artifact that had been unearthed some days beforehand. The attack killed 2,108 people, injured some 5,000 others, and caused an estimated 15 million credits in property and infrastructure damage. The resultant outcry over the incident led to significant political backlash, with various colonies banding together to demand that the Alliance more seriously commit itself to the defense of human settlements. In response, the Alliance made assurances that it would revise its military strategy to be more accommodating of current factors; to immediately allay fears, it dispatched the Seventh Fleet to the Exodus Cluster, and offered generous aid- and reconstruction packages to the colony.  
_

 _In 2185, the planet was named a "culturally significant site" by Earth's Council for Preservation of Human History and Culture. The Eden Prime Memorial & Museum - established on the site of the attack -, along with a memorial park commemorating Commander Shepard, have both become tourist attractions in their own right._

* * *

 **Elysium -** _Petra Nebula, Vetus System_

 _Colony Founded: 2160 CE_

 _Population: 8.3 million_

 _Population (Orbital Stations): 224,000_

 _Capital: Illyria_

 _Discovered in 2157 by the Alliance's Naval Exploration Flotilla, the subsequent legal battle for the planet's colonization rights among Earth's nations became famous for its fierceness and intensity, topped only by the furor that would occur five years later in regards to the colonization of Watson. The Alliance eventually granted the rights to the United North American States (UNAS), although several other nations would continue to formally protest the decision for years, alleging corruption and conflicts of interests. The reason for this competition was not only Elysium's status as a garden world (and a pleasant one at that), but its strategically-important location at the nexus of several primary and secondary mass relays.  
_

 _The colony is divided into 34 administrative divisions, which are referred to as 'themes'. Its population of 8.5 million makes it the Systems Alliance's most populous colony; in addition, with almost half of its population being non-human (~42%), the colony is host to the largest permanent alien population in Alliance space, making it a diplomatically valuable world. By nominal GDP, it boasts the Alliance's largest economy, and its high population grants it considerable clout in the Arcturus Parliament. Its capital city of Illyria is the largest metropolitan area outside of Earth, with a population of roughly 3.1 million and growing.  
_

 _Unsurprisingly, Elysium is widely considered to be humanity's most successful colony. It ranks highly in several measures of socioeconomic performance, which has attracted significant amounts of immigration from the rest of Citadel space. Because of this, the planet is held to be a 'melting pot', with its eclectic mix of various human and alien cultures, which has often been held as a shining example of humanity's ability to successfully integrate to the greater galactic community.  
_

 ** _Economy:_**

 _The early 2160s in Elysium were marked by instability stemming from frequent pirate and slaver raids that continually disrupted economic development, leaving the world lagging behind the leading colonies and their economies. During this period, the colony was mostly dependent on off-world aid from both the Alliance and the UNAS. The government used this money to accomplish a self-supporting economy, launching the popularly-dubbed 'New Community Movement' in order to develop rural areas. The strong leadership of the government figures, as well as the successful colonization recruitment drives served as catalysts for the growth of the Elysian economy._

 _Following the resultant stabilization, Elysium invested heavily in its manufacturing sector, with a strategy of import substitution. With the government showering generous incentives on industrial and manufacturing activities, electronic and chemical industries flourished. The increased output provided by industrial activity also allowed Elysium to develop a diverse and sophisticated services industry; furthermore, its position at a nexus of the mass relay network enabled it to become a major exporter and a hub of interstellar logistics and commerce. The late 2170s saw further development as resource extraction operations established themselves on the various bodies of the Vetus System to exploit the readily-available materials there: helium-3 from Joppa, nickel and cobalt from Gilead, and strategic metals from Sidon. Because of_ _its high turian population, Elysium has also become the Alliance's largest producer of dextro-amino foodstuffs._

 _Over the twenty year period from 2165 to 2185, Elysium's economy grew rapidly. These decades of economic prosperity combined high productivity with high average wages and high consumption, and were also characterized by a well-developed system of social benefits. According to various studies, the real purchasing power of the average colonist's salary went up by 188% between 2170 and 2180, while over-all private consumption increased by 200% in the period 2170-82. The Elysian standard of living, which had been damaged by intermittent attacks and the general instability of the Skyllian Verge, became one of the Alliance's highest. The population also became far more urbanized towards the end of the 2170s; many rural themes experienced population declines while the larger metropolitan areas grew considerably, especially that of Illyria.  
_

 _By 2181, Elysium's growth rate of 9.7% had earned it a place as one of the 'Extra-Solar Giants'; in 2183, it overtook Bekenstein as the largest economy in the Alliance. Moreover, the world is noted for its self-sufficiency: a military-affiliated think tank in 2186 released a report detailing the Elysian's economy ability to meet its own needs in the event of a massive disruption of the mass relay network.  
_

 ** _Military:_**

 _The colony's location in the volatile Skyllian Verge has historically made security a primary concern. In its early years, the world was subject to frequent attacks that made long-term growth prospects bleak. As a result of these and the perceived inadequacy of the small Alliance garrison on-world, the colony's government enacted reforms that allowed it to create and maintain an official militia, formally known as the 'Elysium Volunteer Defense Force'. The establishment of a competent military force served to stem the raids, which became less common after 2165 (by the time of the Skyllian Blitz in 2176, attacks had become rare occurrences). To date, the Elysian militia is one of the better-equipped and trained colonial forces, wielding space-flight capability in order to defend Elysian outposts on the moons of Joppa and settlements on Sidon.  
_

 _During the events of the Skyllian Blitz, it was the insistence of the colonial militia - and the prompt arrival of the entire Arcturus Fleet - that routed the assorted band of slavers, pirates, and batarian warlords.  
_

 _Following the well-coordinated attack - and in response to the colony's undeniable importance to the Alliance -, the decision was made to station the Alliance Navy's Second Fleet in the vicinity of Elysium. Although its primary missions are conflict deterrence and providing regional security, the Second Fleet has - in the event of a general war - the capability to conduct prompt and sustained combat operations in the Skyllian Verge, in accordance with the Alliance strategy. Since 2176, there have been no subsequent raids.  
_

 _Aside from the significant Alliance presence and Elysium's well-organized colonial militia, the planet's defenses are bolstered by an array of orbital defense cannons (installed in 2180). All of these have contributed to making the Vetus System one of the most heavily-guarded - and safe - systems in Alliance space, with the obvious exclusion of Arcturus and the Solar System._

 ** _Education:_**

 _As is typical in Alliance worlds, education at the primary and secondary level is supported by the colonial government. Elysium is considered somewhat of an academic and intellectual center, owing to the presence of two educational institutions of note. The first is the prestigious Jon Grissom Academy, which is hosted aboard an orbital station at the planet's (L1) Lagrange point. Founded in 2176, it educates more than 2,100 pupils, aged 13 to 20 years. According to the commercially-published 'Educational Review Guide', the school "arguably imparts the finest, most in-depth, education to its students out of any other institution in the Alliance". The Academy also famously caters to biotic individuals, with programs aimed not only at training students in effectively harnessing their abilities, but also on providing philosophical and moral guidance on the ethical use of these.  
_

 _The second institution of note is the University of Elysium. Established in 2173 and boasting a student population of 40,103 (2185), it is one of currently only two human institutions of higher education located beyond the Solar System. Unlike its counterpart on Bekenstein, the University offers a more comprehensive set of courses and degrees, although it is especially noted for its programs in history, political sciences, and (xeno-)archeology._ _  
_

 _The University was infamous for its 'student activism' during the 2170s, which often resulted in protests and riots that usually pitted human students against non-human ones. As expressed by a visiting asari lecturer: "[The human students] affirmed that the turians were tyrannical and cruel, as well as stupid, owing to their stereotypical inability to succeed at business without the aid of the volus; meanwhile, the turians alleged that the humans were effeminate, cowardly, and weak, pointing to their inability to defend their outlying worlds from the third-rate batarians. After such insults from words they often came to blows." To counter this, the University instituted the 'nations' system in 2179, establishing regional corporations of students holding limited responsibility over aspects of housing and disciplinary action (i.e. the human nation oversees the human students, whereas the turian nation is responsible for the turian students; an asari nation was established in 2182)._


	8. F

**Fehl Prime -** _Abbadon's Pit,_ _Avīci System  
_

 _Colony Founded: 2177 CE_

 _Population: 3,587 (permanent)  
_

 _Capital: Flores  
_

 _Widely considered a failed venture, Fehl Prime's growth has been stunted by its location in the Terminus Systems. Since its establishment, it has had some of the lowest development indicators of any Alliance world. Most firms and companies are unwilling to establish operations on the planet, due to heavy pirate activity and the constant fear of raids; subsequently, on-world unemployment figures are at a staggering 38%. The main employer on the impoverished world is the Alliance, which maintains a number of research stations for the purposes of cataloguing and researching the native plant life, which possesses potentially pharmaceutical properties; as such, the mainstay of Fehl Prime's economy is a tiny service sector that caters to off-world Alliance personnel and the occasional pilgrims to Cyrene that opt for the the long route.  
_

 _Aside from its native flora, Fehl Prime is of interest due to its large amount of intact Prothean ruins, which appear to span the entire planet (many observers have ventured to comment that this is the sole reason for which the Alliance continues to prop up the colony). However, no apparent effort has been undertaken to study these, aside from the small presence of a number of archeologists from the University of Elysium at Camp Lausus.  
_

 _Ironically, the colony has never actually been raided.  
_

* * *

 **Ferris Fields -** _Malahide Cluster, Fastolf System_

 _Colony Founded: 2176 CE_ **  
**

 _Population: 29,203_

 _Capital: Cresswell_

 _An agricultural world located in the Attican Traverse, Ferris Fields managed to attain a respectable level of prosperity by establishing close trade relations with nearby Dobrovolski, supplying the mineral-rich, but barren, world with essential food supplies. The population of the colony grew by the thousands in conjunction with Dobrovolski's eezo rushes, when large numbers of disappointed and ruined prospectors settled there as farmers and homesteaders.  
_

 _In 2180, a starship transporting a load of refined element zero from Dobrovolski experienced a malfunction as it attempted entry into the planet's atmosphere: the resultant crash not only killed the entire crew of 46, but spread significant amounts of eezo over the townships of Benford and McPhearson. The scope of the contamination would only become apparent in 2182, when local hospitals began submitting reports that at least twenty-seven local women in that year had miscarried or given birth to children with rare cancers, while a confirmed twelve others had given birth to children with the eezo nodules indicative of biotic ability. The area was popularly dubbed the 'McPherson cancer cluster' as more cases were discovered, leading to a government-mandated evacuation of the area. The incident soured relations between the two colonies, and continues to be a source of friction.  
_

* * *

 **Freedom's Progress** _\- Cyclades Group, Asclepius System_ **  
**

 _Colony Founded: 2171 CE  
_

 _Population: 7,804_

 _Capital: Cape Sheridan  
_

 _Freedom's Progress is one of the few remaining charter colonies in Alliance space. It was originally established by a consortium of agribusiness firms seeking to capitalize on ossilbir production, a high nutrition vine that the Alliance military at the time was considering for inclusion in its military rations. However, the idea was rejected due to health concerns (as well as the unpopularity of the product, with many criticizing it as devoid of any culinary value), and ossilbir's 'fad' status faded quickly; as a result, Freedom's Progress' economy contracted, forcing the world to diversify its agricultural production. The bleak economic situation caused many to emigrate for other colonies in search of better opportunities; the subsequent 'brain drain' ostensibly harmed the colony's attempts to economically reassert itself.  
_

 _Presently, Freedom's Progress is a significant producer of cacao, coffee, and cotton. The colony saw a brief period of economic growth in the early 2180s, although it quickly sank back into a slump following fluctuations in the galactic commodities market. Recent years have seen the rise of political parties calling for the dissolution of the colonial charter and full integration with the Systems Alliance. Faced with poor returns and meager yearly profits, the charter government promised to hold a referendum on the matter in 2187._


	9. G

**Gemistus -** _Propontis Vantage, Scylax System_

 _Colony Founded: 2157_

 _Population: 48,360_

 _Capital: Plethon_

 _A large terrestrial planet of expansive cold deserts, Gemistus has a trace atmosphere composed of nitrogen and carbon monoxide. Although uninhabitable, its agreeable gravity, proximity to the Exodus Cluster, and higher-than-average density (suggestive of mineral richness) attracted the attention of the Systems Alliance; however, the lack of political will at the time to organize a colonization drive led to it subsequently granting a private colonization charter to two joint-stock mining companies. The settlement efforts proved successful, especially after rich reserves of various minerals and metals were found.  
_

 _By the 2160s, various agencies at Arcturus had begun receiving reports concerning allegations made against the world's charter government, ranging from accusations of embezzlement and fraud to discrimination and disregard for Alliance regulations. Despite repeated warnings and calls for compliance, Gemistus' corporate government was reluctant to concede that the Alliance held any sort of authority over the colony's internal affairs. This culminated in a political crises in 2167 during which steps were planned, and then executed, to vacate the colonial charter of Gemistus. There were fears that the situation might deteriorate into an armed conflict (turian observers were quick to draw parallels to their own Unification War); however, after the Alliance courts issued a quo warranto writ, the colonial charter was formally dissolved without further incident, and Gemistus became an Alliance colony proper, with elections held the next year.  
_

 _Presently, the colony is a significant supplier of rare earth elements. Among its growing industries are heavy manufacturing and ship breaking.  
_


	10. H

**Hwanin -** _Bythnian Gate, Kang-te System  
_

 _Colony Founded: 2183 CE (formally)  
_

 _Population: 8,710 (permanent)  
_

 _Capital: Spitsberg_

 _A satellite of the gas giant Belmez, Hwanin is an unusually large moon with a trace atmosphere of nitrogen and ammonia. Its surface is frozen, and mainly composed of sandstone and other sedimentary rocks and deposits of iron and chlorides.  
_

 _Although Hwanin is terribly inhospitable and considered unremarkable at best in terms of resource wealth, its mass relay is a stop between various human systems and the beginning of turian space. For this reason a number of military bases, listening outposts, and fleet depots were constructed by the Alliance in the area beginning in the early 2160s; the official reason for the significant military presence in the region remains "to offer protection and support to itinerant human and turian merchants from pirate activity in the region". By the mid-2170s, a number of settlements had sprung up around various military installations, the largest being the city of Spitsberg in the vicinity of Miramar Base._

 _Eager to gain full voting rights, the civilian population of Hwanin actively campaigned for proper inclusion into the Systems Alliance; these efforts paid off in 2183, when the administration of the settlements was handed over to a popularly-elected government with representation in the Arcturus Parliament. Despite the colony's location in a less-than-ideal world, growth has been steady, bolstered by the system's location on an important trade lane.  
_


	11. I

**Intai'Sei -** _Argos Rho, Phoenix System_

 _Colony Founded: 2166 CE_

 _Population: 152,980  
_

 _Population (Outposts on Iwato): 4,307_

 _Capital: Thoreau Mesa_

 _Although considered a garden world, Intai'Sei is noted for its arid climate, high temperatures, and planet-spanning deserts. However, its combination of habitability, lack of a significant pre-existent biosphere, and ample mineral resources have transformed it into an important manufacturing hub. In particular, it is one of the top starship manufacturers in the Alliance, with major companies including Nashan Stellar Dynamics and Quingdao Combine. The colony's industry-oriented economy has experienced sustained economic growth for the past two decades, ensuring a high level of prosperity and infrastructural development_ _. The success and rapid growth of Intai'Sei's industrial sector has additionally been aided by generous government support in the form of low business taxes and the endowment of various trade schools to support a technically-adept and skilled labor force. By 2178, Intai'Sei's economic annual growth rate had reached a robust 9%, at which point it was included in the category of the 'Extra-Solar Giants'.  
_

 _Despite its solid economic standing, Intai'Sei's colonists have had to deal with various difficulties resultant from settlement on such an arid world. Because of its growing population and the unsustainable nature of the planet's hydrosphere (and the inability of wind farms to meet increasing demand), the colonial administration was forced in 2174 to undertake the expensive ordeal of constructing outposts on Intai'Sei's satellite - Iwato - to mine for water-ice to adequately meet the colony's needs; in addition, opportunities for agricultural ventures are extremely limited, forcing the colony to depend heavily on imported food supplies from neighboring colonies. The planet's aridity has also acted as a barrier in attracting immigration, with many would-be colonists opting for more verdant prospects in Elysium or Eden Prime. In fact, Intai'Sei bears the distinction of being the smallest 'Extra-Solar Giant' in terms of population size.  
_

 _Only at the more temperate areas near the poles does the desert give way to sub-desert shrubland; it is therefore unsurprising that most settlements on the planet were constructed at the far northern and southern latitudes. In recent years, Intai'Sei's legislature has considered the prospect of terraforming, although it has yet to draft any actual plans.  
_

* * *

 **Ittaru -** _47 Tucanae, Eltanin System_ **  
**

 _Colony Founded: 2161 CE_

 _Population 32,084  
_

 _Capital: Allagash_

 _Ittaru is a colony located at the heart of Alliance space, a stone's throw away from Arcturus and Elysium. The rustic world has strong agricultural roots, and has been a strong and consistent leader in the production of corn, wheat, beef, and tobacco, for which it is particularly famed.  
_

 _The quiet farming planet became widely known in 2174 when the Westall Massacre took place in Gorman, a suburb located approximately 3 km to the south of Allagash. The incident occurred on March 17th, when a biotic individual by the name of George Westall - beset by a number of personal problems - proceeded to kill 46 colonists and seriously wound more than 50 others, before dying from complications associated with overexertion of biotic ability. The massacre made headlines across Alliance space, sparking a moral panic concerning biotics and their place in human society. The anti-biotic sentiment caused riots and demonstrations on various worlds, the largest of which took place on Earth. A number of attacks against real or suspected biotic individuals were also documented, including 2 murders.  
_

 _Following the incident, Ittaru's_ _legislature controversially attempted to enact a bill that would have forced biotic individuals to be registered in a database, to the effect of disclosing their status. The measure met with stiff opposition, including warnings from the Alliance that it would withhold certain funds from the colony if the bill became law. Because of this, the measure was quietly allowed to die on the floor, and was never implemented.  
_

 _A memorial to the victims was erected in 2178, and the name of the suburb officially changed from 'Gorman' to 'Rossthorn' to downplay the location's association with the grisly incident.  
_


	12. L

**Lampsacus -** _Palomar Cluster, Patmos' Star_ **  
**

 _Colony Founded: 2163 CE  
_

 _Population: 14,091  
_

 _Capital: Cybarrhaeot  
_

 _Established in the Attican Traverse at the height of tensions between the Alliance and Hegemony, Lampsacus languished under the threat of raids for the first seven years following its establishment. The world was sacked in 2170 by batarian-backed raiders from the Terminus Systems: the attack resulted in over 300 casualties, with an estimated 120 colonists captured and forced into slavery. Emboldened by the lack of serious resistance and negligible Alliance presence, the raiders would subsequently move on to prey on nearby Mindoir, perpetrating the infamous massacre.  
_

 _The sack generated significant anti-Alliance sentiment among the colony's populace, which culminated in a political crisis when the colonial governor - with overwhelming public support - declared his intention of seceding from the Systems Alliance. Civil disorder broke out in the colony's capital following the announcement, with an Alliance government office being looted and occupied by pro-separatist protestors, while the one Alliance base on-world was blockaded by armed colonists who proceeded to prohibit the personnel inside from exiting or from procuring supplies. After repeated requests from Arcturus calling for the resignation of the governor went ignored, the Fifth Fleet's 63rd Scout Flotilla was deployed to restore public order. However, the presence of the flotilla only served to rile up the populace, leading to widespread rioting and looting. It would take two days for the Alliance contingent to restore order. Although there were no fatalities, property damages were estimated to be as high as 3 million credits, while the resulting bureaucratic re-organization and 'purging' greatly impeded reconstruction efforts.  
_

 _The events had a strong impact on the Alliance administration: as summarized by analysts, they demonstrated to the Arcturus bureaucrats just how unpopular various federal policies - particularly in areas of defense - were, while serving as a sobering reminder that the colonies were willing to fight back.  
_

* * *

 **Luna -** _Local Cluster, Solar System_

 _Colony Founded: 2069 CE  
_

 _Population: 4.2 million_

 _The site of humanity's first manned space landing in 1969 CE, Luna also served as the host of humanity's first permanent extra-terrestrial settlements exactly one century later, beginning with the establishment of Armstrong Outpost by the United States in the Mare Tranquillitatis. In spite of a slow start, the population of these settlements exploded in the late 2070s, when refugees fleeing from the outbreak of the Third World War on Earth flocked en masse for the perceived safety of the lunar outposts.  
_

 _Following the end of World War III and the increasingly visible depletion of Earth's resources, economic development on Luna began in earnest: the satellite became a valuable source of metals and minerals necessary for the reconstruction of Earth's industry. The establishment of manned research outposts on Mars in the 2080s and the resultant scramble for the colonization of the Solar System in the 2090s further propelled growth, with the Moon finding itself a prime supplier of materials required for the manufacture of starships and space habitats. Although its status as an economic powerhouse diminished considerably following the successful establishment of the extra-solar colonies, Luna's strategic proximity to Earth has assured it a high level of importance.  
_

 _As is the case with Earth, Luna is not Alliance colony: the various settlements on the Moon are instead under the jurisdiction of the various Earth-based states that established them. Currently, the largest city is the UNAS hub of Armstrong Outpost (with a population of 1.97 million), aptly named after the first human to walk on the Moon. Aside from the various population centers, a number of Earth's states maintain a heavy military presence on the satellite.  
_

* * *

 **Lykandos -** _Tlalocan Cluster, Pilares System  
_

 _Colony Founded: 2178 CE (formally)  
_

 _Population: 6,492 (permanent)  
_

 _Capital: Dyrrachium  
_

 _Lykandos is a terrestrial world of basaltic rock, with a methane-argon atmosphere wholly unsuitable for life.  
_

 _Discovered by human surveyors in the 2150s and only cursorily charted, the world remained neglected until a freighter sent to the system for appraisal purposes in 2174 spotted a number of visible patterns on the planet's southern latitudes. Closer inspection revealed these to be the ruins of ancient settlements and mining stations, of comparatively large size. Initially believed to be of Prothean origin, subsequent excavations pointed to construction by the enigmatic Densorin. The archaeological findings have been noteworthy: for example, a series of well-preserved murals discovered in 2184 shattered the notion that the Densorin had been a peaceful culture of mystics and priests (a position long-held and championed for by the well-respected archaeologist and historian from Thessia, Matriarch Sederis), as the murals clearly depicted - and appeared to glorify - war, ritual sacrifice, and torture.  
_

 _The Alliance maintains various research stations on the planet, and permanent settlements have followed suit, with local settlers eking out an existence by providing supplies and services to the stations' staff._ _The growth of colonies on the otherwise featureless world has been accompanied by development of other planetary bodies in the system, spurred by the discovery of generous mineral deposits on uranium-rich Mayahuel and the easily accessible gold veins on Chaac._


	13. M

**Mars -** _Local Cluster, Solar System_

 _Colony Founded: 2103 CE_

 _Population: 3.4 million_

 _Capital: Lowell City_

 _Mars was explored by various robotic expeditions for nearly a century before the first manned research stations were established in the late 2080s. The first permanent settlement on Mars was Lowell City, founded in 2103 by the European Space Agency and based in Eos Chasma. Within a decade, both the UNAS and the Chinese People's Republic had founded permanent settlements as well._

 _In 2148, a mining team on Mars made one of humanity's greatest discoveries. During the course of a cursory investigation into the "Bermuda Triangle-like" reputation of the southern pole, the prospectors unearthed the subterranean ruins of an ancient Prothean research station, revealing undeniable proof of the existence of alien life. A malfunctioning mass effect core, several starships, and refined element zero were all found inside the complex, enabling humanity to advance its technology by centuries with the application of mass effect physics.  
_

 _The findings on Mars would allow the human race to develop FTL travel and gain access to the mass relay network in only one year. Ironically, this would have the effect of reducing the Red Planet to irrelevancy: once considered a prime prospect for large-scale colonization and eventual terraformation, the planet was pushed to the sidelines following the discovery of more amenable, habitable worlds beyond the Solar System. The discovery would also result in political consequences for both Mars and the later colonies: following the ratification of the Systems Alliance charter, the various Martian settlements were formally granted their independence from Earth's various states, and placed under Alliance governance with extensive home-rule prerogatives (a move that proved to be immediately unpopular with Earth's nations).  
_

 _For decades, immigration and development remained restricted as the search for Prothean ruins continued. However, by the 2180s, most archaeologists supported the conclusion that the Prothean presence on the planet had never been sizeable to begin with, and that it was extremely likely that the alien base found in the vicinity of the Promethei Planum and Deseado Crater had constituted the entirety of the ancient Prothean presence on the planet. As a result, both the Alliance and the Martian government have gradually relaxed a number of their statutes limiting development, although a significant portion of the southern pole remains a protected archaeological zone.  
_

* * *

 **Mercury -** _Local Cluster, Solar System_

 _Colony Founded: 2111 CE_

 _Population: 351_

 _A handful of solar power arrays were constructed on Mercury's poles in the 2110s, although the difficulties imposed by the planet's proximity to the sun and high orbital velocity limited the scope of development, which became even more pronounced following the discovery of the mass relay network in the 2140s. Despite this, the stations remain functional to this day, and continue to supply the various Solar System colonies with cheap, clean energy, while ensuring a reliable source of income for the settlers of the otherwise featureless sun-scorched world.  
_

 _With a recorded population of 351 in a 2184 census, the only settlement is Paestum Station (known locally as "The Town") in the vicinity of the Kandinsky Crater. Largely due to its exceedingly small population, Mercury is not treated as a colony with its own local government or Parliamentary representation; rather, it is directly administered as a dependency by the Alliance's Office of Insular Affairs, represented by a career civil servant who takes advice from the group of seven popularly-elected native settlers (informally referred to as the Mercury Settlers Association)._

 _Because of this, there exist no political parties or trade unions on Mercury. The settlement has some legislation of its own, but the laws of the Systems Alliance generally apply._

* * *

 **Mindoir -** _Thracesian Passage, Shirmacher Refuge_ **  
**

 _Colony Founded: 2160 CE_

 _Population: 20,814_

 _Capital: Montfarleau  
_

 _An agrarian world notable for its cattle ranching and wine production, Mindoir was subjected to an infamous attack by Hegemony-backed raiders in 2170. Emboldened by a successful raid on neighboring Lampsacus and the negligible Alliance presence there, a large contingent of raiders landed on the outskirts of Mindoir's main settlement, where they set up a base of operations. Citizens of Montfarleau hung flags with the Alliance emblem on several buildings, in an attempt to deter the batarians from continuing their siege; nevertheless, the settlement was devastated and captured one day later, despite a spirited defense by local law enforcement, armed colonists, and the tiny Alliance garrison.  
_

 _The city of Montfarleau and its surrounding environs were subsequently subjected to a three-day massacre that resulted in the deaths of an estimated 4,000 colonists. Various eyewitness accounts of colonists present on Mindoir at the time of the sack claim that, during the course of the siege, the batarian pirates engaged in widespread murder, torture, looting, arson, and other atrocities (including controversial allegations of rape). One third of the city was destroyed as a result of arson; according to many reports, the newly constructed Colonial Assembly Hall was razed and used as an execution square, while several townships in the hinterlands were burned.  
_

 _The most notorious legacy of the 'Sack of Mindoir' - as it later came to be known - was the unprecedented number of colonists taken as slaves, with estimates ranging as high as 2,000 individuals. Morbid rumors soon began to circulate, alleging that, as they retreated, the batarian pirates were forced to space hundreds of their human captives due to overcrowding on their own starships.  
_


	14. N

**Neptune -** _Local Cluster, Solar System_

 _Colony Founded: 2137 CE_

 _Population: 77 (permanent)_

 _Although Neptune, like Uranus, boasts abundant amounts of helium, its remoteness has made it an unpromising target for mining. With Uranus cheaper to exploit, the ice giant has never seen extensive development._

 _The only permanent human presence is the Tyrifjorden Habitat on Triton, a small research facility belonging to the Alliance's Geographical Survey that boasts a permanent population of 77 individuals, although it has been known to swell as high as 180 at certain times of the year. The settlement has attained some measure of fame in recent years, after the 2178 cult film 'Alone the Immortals' depicted the base as being host to secretive human experimentation efforts. In actuality, on-base research efforts are limited to seismological and geological studies. In addition, the colony's post office has become a minor attraction for dedicated tourists and philately enthusiasts, who travel to the remote settlement to send postcards and mail with a Neptunian postmark._

* * *

 **New Canton -** _Hai-Shan Enclosure, Hesperide System_

 _Colony Founded: 2159 CE_

 _Population: 93,675_

 _Capital: Zhangshou Metropol_

 _Established in 2159 by the Chinese People's Federation, New Canton was selected as the recipient of intensive colonization and development efforts despite its location on the frontier of human space, owing to its cluster's resource wealth and position along vital trade lanes. However, the rapid growth of the colony severely outpaced the establishment of adequate infrastructure, which resulted in notoriously poor living conditions; at the same, political considerations back on Earth led to haphazard - even negligent - planning. These two factors would be the cause of two separate disasters: the first in 2162, when an outbreak of cholera and dysentery was responsible for killing 3,200 colonists. The second disaster occurred in 2163, when a starship accident at the Tian-Yu Spaceport exposed thousands of colonists in the Zhangshou metropolitan area to dust-form element zero. Critics and colonial leaders were quick to blame the Chinese colonization efforts, for having constructed the spaceport in the immediate vicinity of a major urban hub._

 _The disasters caused a political scandal back on Earth, which quickly came to a head when the Arcturus Parliament censured the Chinese Federation for "gross mismanagement and negligence", and even threatened to deny colonization rights in the future. The statements caused a furor among many of Earth's nations, with China vowing to "challenge the overstepping by the Alliance"._

* * *

 **Nonuel (Naxus Habitat) -** _Hades Gamma, Plutus System_

 _Colony Founded: 2184 CE_

 _Population: 7,400_

 _The largest body in the asteroid belt of the Plutus System, Nonuel is not only large enough to maintain a spherical shape, but is also massive enough to maintain the noxious carbon and sulfur dioxides venting from its volcanoes as an atmosphere. Ravaged by rampant volcanism, frequent meteoric impact, and with surface conditions that are extremely hazardous, Nonuel would be of little interest to the rest of the galaxy were it not fo_ r _the fact that the planetoid is in actuality a coalescence of rock enveloping an enormous element zero chunk, likely ejected from a supernova billions of years ago. This aspect makes Nonuel a "secondary source" of much-valued eezo._

 _Though nominally claimed by the Systems Alliance since the late 2160s, it was only in 2183 that the Alliance was able to wrest effective control of the remote system from the sway of assorted bands of pirates and smugglers under the leadership of a self-proclaimed 'Lord Darius'. In order to both cement its authority over the region, as well as to commence the exploitation of the substantial eezo deposits there, the Alliance proceeded to establish a permanent settlement in the system. Officially dubbed the 'Naxus Habitat', the settlement was actually constructed on a satellite of Plutus' only gas giant, Veyaria, owing to the safety concerns that would arise from constructing an outpost either on Nonuel's hazardous surface or its asteroid-laden orbit._


	15. O

**Oliveira -** _Arcturus Stream, Euler System_

 _Colony Founded: 2153 CE_

 _Population: 520,000_

 _Capital: Mondego Habitat_

 _Oliveira is a satellite of the ice giant Silva, so-named in honor of Mateus Silva, the leader of the prospecting team that unearthed the Prothean archives on Mars._

 _The colony is home to a thriving industry based on the recovery of helium-3: in fact, Silva is the Alliance's third-largest supplier of helium-3, ranking only behind Uranus and Saturn, respectively. In addition, its combination of low gravity and proximity to Benning and the Arcturus hub makes it an industrial powerhouse, with the starship manufacturing industry being another of its notable economic sectors._

 _As with most of the holdings in the Arcturus Stream, Oliveira is an important component of the Alliance Navy's logistics and development arm, with a number of important defense contractors headquartered there. In 2183, construction on a Kilimanjaro-class dreadnought began on the colony's shipyards. The starship - completed in 2185, and christened the SSV Aconcagua - represented the first instance of an Alliance dreadnought-type ship being constructed outside of Arcturus Station._

* * *

 **Olynthus -** _Star's End, Kastamon System_

 _Colony Founded: 2153_ _CE_

 _Population: 100,743_

 _Capital: Sirmium_

 _Located in a system solely accessible by way of the Arcturus relay, Olynthus is a moderately semi-arid world, boasting hot summers and generally mild winters with frequently subfreezing mornings. Although it was generally overlooked in favor of the colonies established on Benning, Eden Prime, and Terra Nova, it nevertheless attracted a healthy level of immigration from Earth and the Solar System settlements during the first wave of human expansion. Presently, the world remains notable for its connection to the Magnus test, in which the Alliance military tested the (to-date) largest nuclear devices in human history._

 _Plans for the creation of an extremely high-yield thermonuclear weapon had been established as early as 2152, when Martian emigre and physicist Howard Carrasco met with a Systems Alliance Parliament committee to discuss the need for such a weapon, in spite of the recent discovery and widespread adoption of mass effect technology. That same year, the Alliance allotted a sizeable amount of funds for pure research; however, by 2153, a number of factors - namely, the rapid expansion of human space and the perceived threat of encountering an alien species, as well as discontent among Earth's nations over the role of the Alliance - led the Alliance to adopt a more active interest in the venture. In 2153, the Alliance Navy selected a body in the Kastamon System as a weapons testing ground, although it was on Olynthus proper that the research, development, and assembly for and of the weapon took place._

 _In 2156, the experimental weapon was detonated on satellite T-19 of Kastamon's sole gas giant (Pi Hahiroth). The detonation of the weapon had the result of combusting approximately 36% of the satellite's hydrogen-methane atmosphere; in addition to the destructive explosion, the blast spawned satellite-spanning 400 kilometer-per-hour winds. A second test conducted in free space also yielded extremely destructive results: although the vacuum completely eliminated the explosion's shock wave, the blast behaved in a manner similar to a Gamma-ray burst. Officially classified as a "success" by military analysts, the weapons (officially named 'Brahmastra-type devices') were subsequently produced in significant amounts in anticipation of a possible alien threat._

* * *

 **Ontarom -** _Kepler Verge, Newton System_

 _Founded: 2170 CE_

 _Population: 2,886 (permanent)_

 _With a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere vibrant biosphere, Ontarom is an ideal candidate for habitation for most known species._

 _Unfortunately, the orbit of the moon of Thonal has been slowly decaying since the system coalesced. Its ever-increasing proximity is beginning to have tidal effects, and its dynamo-like revolution through Ontarom's magnetic field is generating increasingly powerful electric storms. While there have been suggestions that the placement of mass effect drives to correct the moon's orbit might theoretically work, the sheer scale of such a project - enough to bankrupt the governments of all the Citadel races - makes it a pipe dream._

 _Despite this, the Systems Alliance constructed a dish field in 2170 CE, in defiance of both the periodical violent weather and the derision of the long-lived asari. Since then, the base has grown into a crucial communications hub for the Alliance. The facility boasts a large number of information-transmitting devices, whose contents are spread throughout the broadcast on the planet and beamed out via comm buoy. The growth of the base has been accompanied by the establishment of civilian settlements in the surrounding area, with the settlement of Stroker's Gully serving as a local hub._

 _Although most of the communication relays serve the government and military, a coalition of business firms have begun construction on a civilian broadcast hub. The local Alliance leadership has offered the help of the military's technical experts, making Ontarom a symbol of civilian and military cooperation. Despite this, Ontarom does not have a civilian government, and has no official representation in the Alliance Parliament. A local government as normally envisioned does not exist: rather, the administration is represented in the territory by the commanding officer and staff of the Alliance base, although there exists an informal group of colonists who give advice and provide recommendations to the CO._

 _At current estimates, it is believed that Ontarom will cease to be viable as a habitable world within 350 years, whereas it is expected that Thonal will collide with the planet in 500 years._


	16. P

**Pluto -** _Local Cluste_ r, _Solar System_

 _Colony Founded: 2149 CE_

 _Population: 9,270 (permanent)_

 _Capital: Toparch Station_

 _A dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt, Pluto is mainly of note for being the gravitational "anchor" for the relay that connects the Solar System to the hub in the Arcturus Stream. The ice dwarf and the Charon Relay (formerly considered to be a satellite) both orbit each other: as a result of efforts to reactivate the relay in 2149, Pluto's elliptical orbit has been circularized._

 _Because of the general barrenness and lack of resources there, Pluto's surface has largely been ignored: for the most part, settlements have sprung up in the form of orbital habitats around Pluto's orbit, serving as entry stations into the Solar System. The largest of these - Toparch Station - is the seat of Pluto's Colonial Authority (which administers the others stations), and is home to 5,000 inhabitants._

 **Proteus -** _Artemus_ _Tau, Athens System_

 _Colony Founded: 2179 CE_

 _Population_ : _12,683_

 _Capital: Ithaka_

 _Like the hanar homeworld of Kahje, Proteus has more than 90% oceanic cover. The heat thrown off from Athens raises global humidity to 100%, creating constant cloud cover and powering massive typhoons that rage across the surface year-round._

 _Hot, humid, and storm-wracked, Proteus' rare combination of a oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere and carbon-based biosphere nevertheless recommend it for colonization. The Alliance's settlement drives have largely focused their efforts on the interior of Proteus' largest landmass (Phocus), away from the worst effects of the planet's constant storms. Although an Alliance pilot program is currently studying the possibility of colonies below the ocean surface, it is expected that it will be years before a reliable assessments can be drawn, and perhaps decades to actually implement. As a result, Proteus' colonial administration has decided to pursue what it sees as more viable alternatives: namely, a combination of intensive land reclamation efforts and weather control. While the science of weather manipulation remains in a theoretical stage, several plausible ideas have been put forth: for example, the insertion of water-absorbent, bio-degradable polymers in powder form into clouds to remove their moisture, thus dissipating would-be storms. Another proposal calling for the dropping of large amounts of environmentally-friendly oils into the ocean to prevent droplet formation has also garnered considerable support; however, the importance of aquaculture to Proteus' economy - and the fear of unintended consequences - has relegated this plan to second place._


	17. S

**Saturn -** _Local Cluster, Solar System_

 _Colony Founded: 2126 CE_

 _Population: 121,000_

 _Capital: Huygens Dome (Titan)_

 _While a number of manned research stations were established on Titan and Enceladus in the 2120s, the then-current limitations of conventional space travel rendered full-scale colonization efforts unfeasible. In 2137, the ringed giant came to the forefront when the Ashland Energy Corporation successfully extracted helium-3 from its atmosphere: despite the significance of the find, subsequent development efforts proved_ _relatively meager._

 _Only after the discovery of the Prothean archives - and the development of the first mass effect FTL drive - did the planet see large-scale settlement and development. A short-lived 'helium-3 rush' followed, with a large number of companies on Earth formed for the purpose of extracting the material. The subsequent flow of colonists and immigrants led to the rapid growth of settlements on both Titan and Enceladus, as well as the construction of extensive orbital infrastructure: for example, Titan's Hyugens Dome grew from a small fueling outpost of about 210 in 2148 to a boomtown of about 39,000 by 2152._

 _Despite the improvements in transportation technology and the refinement of recovery techniques, as well as the rate of infrastructural development, Saturn's rush faltered during 2153, when Uranus - with its generously shallow gravity well, and proximity to the Charon relay - became the recipient of a "land rush" to exploit its more easily-accessible helium-3 reserves. To date, Saturn remains the Systems Alliance's second-largest producer of helium-3._

* * *

 **Shanxi** _\- Shanxi-Theta Cluster, Lekapenos System_

 _Colony Founded: 2155 CE_

 _Population: 79,153_

 _Capital: Port Balhae_

 _At the time of its establishment, Shanxi was humanity's most remote colony: as a result, it served as an important way-station for various early exploratory efforts. Despite its strategic value, the settlement grew slowly in its early years, as it was difficult to find adequate labor, and recruitment drives failed to attract colonists in large numbers._

 _To date, Shanxi remains notable for being the site of several battles between the Systems Alliance and the Turian Hierarchy, in a conflict variously termed 'the First Contact War' by humans and 'the Relay-314 Incident' by the turians.  
_

 _After an expedition sent through the Shanxi-Theta mass relay was wiped out by a turian patrol fleet, a single ship survived and made it back to Shanxi proper. A retaliatory force was sent out by the commander stationed at the colony, and the reinforcements destroyed the turian forces. Events escalated quickly; the turians sent more ships through the relay and swiftly subjugated the colony, but not before a message drone was dispatched by the defending garrison, alerting the Alliance forces at Arcturus._

 _The Alliance defenders at Shanxi, besieged by the orbiting turians, were then forced to fight a guerilla campaign on the surface. The turians, however, slowly squeezed the defenders into submission. Dropping orbiting debris, the invaders leveled entire city blocks just to destroy one fire team whenever they attempted to procure food and supplies. Eventually, with the troops starving and civilian casualties mounting rapidly, the garrison surrendered, leading to a military occupation. However, the occupying forces soon faced logistical problems of their own, stemming from their unique biology and their dependence on imported foodstuffs. Nevertheless, the turian forces adamantly believed in the security of their position, and that the handful of ships they had defeated had represented the entirety of human naval forces. As a result, they were caught completely unprepared when the Alliance's Second Fleet under Admiral Kastanie Drescher launched a powerful counteroffensive and liberated Shanxi._

 _In response, the Hierarchy began mobilizing for full-scale war, while the Alliance was forced to deal with the shock of encountering a hostile extra-terrestrial species. However, the shift towards mobilization attracted the attention of the Citadel Council, who promptly intervened and brokered a truce, subsequently introducing the human race to the greater galactic community._

 _Despite the short duration of the conflict, the memory of the Shanxi incident has been a stumbling block in human-turian relations since the 2150s. Bilateral exchanges on trade, culture, and education have increased greatly since the normalization of relations following the inclusion of the human Alliance into the Citadel Council in 2165: despite this, many humans still report a strong sense of mistrust and animosity towards the Turian Hierarchy that originates from the memory of the occupation of the colony.  
_

 _Presently, Shanxi is a burgeoning commercial entrepot and a regional logistics hub, profiting from its position at the border of turian and human space. In addition, the system is host to a large Alliance Navy presence, hosting various naval outposts and early-detection stations.  
_

* * *

 **Sirona -** _Dorival's Maelstrom_ _, 61 Ursa Majoris System_

 _Colony Founded: 2154 CE_

 _Population: 8_ _,471_

 _Capital:_ _Vercingetorix Outpost_

 _The first settlement on Sirona was established in 2153 as a military camp in the vicinity of the northern pole of the planet, in order to safeguard what was originally thought to be the ruins of a large Prothean complex. When archaeological efforts subsequently demonstrated the site to be comparatively small and in bad condition, the settlement was relocated to a more amenable location at the present site of what is today its capital, Vercingetorix Outpost.  
_

 _Since then, Sirona has quietly faded into relative obscurity. Its economy remains small, and although it has seen some level of growth and diversification in the last 10 years, it is agriculture and government administration that provide the primary impetus of the local economy; similarly, its population has remained fairly stable._


	18. T

**Tarkio –** _Neuman's Atoll, Van Seward's Star_

 _Colony Founded: 2156 CE_

 _Population: 4,376_

 _Capital: Yakutat_

 _On April 19, 2155, the Alliance Navy dispatched the 9th Cruiser Force component of the Second Fleet to occupy then-uninhabited Tarkio, with the objective of putting an end to intermittent attacks by locally-based pirate groups against by-passing merchant ships. Following the rapid accomplishment of the military objectives (within a matter of weeks), the Systems Alliance eagerly pursued colonization of the planet as the most economical way to secure the system. A civilian settlement was subsequently established, with the first contingent of colonists arriving in early 2156._

 _Although the anti-piracy campaign had been completed in 2155, the Second Fleet component remained stationed above Tarkio until early 2157: as a result, the colony was governed by an Alliance Military Administration (AMA) for the first year after its establishment. Upon the the departure of the armed forces, the AMA was dissolved, with authority passing over to a civil administration._

 _Geographically, Tarkio is a frigid and icy world, covered by mountainous terrain, glaciers, and oceans: despite being habitable, the planet is marked by the predominance of the ice cap climate type, characterized by a permanent layer of ice and the absence of vegetation. Only along the equatorial areas does the ice cap climate give way to more accommodating tundra-type climate: unsurprisingly, the bulk of settlements is concentrated in a small section of this area._

 _Sparsely populated, the colonial economy is underdeveloped even by Alliance standards, with off-world trade being relatively minor. The principal economic activity for decades was resource extraction (mainly, natural gas, gold, and zinc), along with subsistence fishing. In recent years, the usage of Tarkio's marine life as seafood has become increasingly popular in wider human space, with prices tripling between 2178 and 2185. However, local leaders have raised concerns that rising prices on the galactic market may lead traditional consumers to be unable to afford the products._

* * *

 **Terra Nova –** _Exodus Cluster, Asgard System_

 _Colony Founded: 2152 CE_

 _Population: 4.4 million_

 _Population (orbital stations):4,100_

 _Capital: Scott_

 _Terra Nova was one of the Class-1 colonization prospects discovered by the first wave of Alliance surveys in 2150. It was the second human extra-solar settlement, with the distinction of having been the first beyond the Charon mass relay. Such was the optimism of its first colonists that the planet was christened 'New Earth', to reflect the spirit of the time._

 _In spite of its suggestive name, Terra Nova is a dark, basaltic world with few reflective clouds, and high concentrations of methane and carbon dioxide in its atmosphere; as a result, it is banded by harsh equatorial deserts, to the effect that colonization has been focused on the temperate areas closer to the poles. As the deserts' edge greens (due to the intensive terraforming measures), the planet's albedo will rise, and its temperature will fall accordingly, allowing for the habitation of the equatorial interior without the need for artificial habitats or special adaptations._

 _Terra Nova is the Systems Alliance's third largest colony by population size, just behind Elysium and Bekenstein, respectively. With 4.4 million inhabitants, it is able to send a significant amount of representatives to the lower house of the Arcturus Parliament, assuring it a high level of political representation. By nominal GDP, the planet boasts the largest economy in the Exodus Cluster, making it a regional hub despite its relative distance from the cluster's mass relay. According to the Development Index, the colony enjoys a high standard of living, and has the Alliance's 5th highest quality of life according to The Social Indicator Review. The world is also ranked as having the 3rd lowest income inequality metrics in Alliance-governed space. Despite these important achievements, the colony suffers from a variety of issues: namely, decades of stagnation in economic growth, as well as a political crisis in the 2170s that necessitated the comprehensive restructuring of the colonial administration._

 _ **Economy:**_

 _At one point, Terra Nova was the fastest-growing economy in human space, registering over 7% economic growth from 2152 through 2157. In the first years following its establishment, the colony was granted exceptionally generous subsidies, grants, and loans from both the Alliance and various Earth-based states, allowing for the rapid development of a diversified set of industries, as well as the undertaking of large-scale infrastructural projects. However, the establishment of additional colonies in subsequent years diverted the (total) attention that had previously been given to Terra Nova; as a result, the colonial economy slumped for the rest of the 2150s, and entered a period of prolonged decline in the early 2160s._

 _The difficult economic situation affected direct consumption and investment within the colony, causing a decrease in asset prices and a sharp decline in consumption, which led to further long-term deflation. Terra Novan interests had to fend off strong competition from 'rival' colonies such as Bekenstein, Benning, and Elysium, among others. Dependent on the label and prestige as "humanity's first extra-solar colony", neither the devolved colonial government nor its business bodies could adequately adjust to the rapid increase of the Alliance's territorial holdings. The situation badly affected consumer confidence, since the dip reduced household real income. While the situation stabilized towards the end of the 2160s, it took the discovery of extensive platinum deposits – a valuable rare metal widely used to produce clean-burning hydrogen fuel cells – in the late 2170s to once again spur noticeable growth and investment._

 _Entering into the 2180s, Terra Nova has seen sustained – though modest – economic growth. The rise of the platinum mining and processing industry has been accompanied by the birth of a burgeoning logistics and financial sector. The colony's economy has benefited from (relatively) low labor costs, high prices on its main export goods, its proximity to large markets on Tyr and Eden Prime, and the installment of a more responsive form of colonial government [see below]. Beginning in the 2180s, the government ratified new policies to develop Terra Nova's agricultural sector, in an effort to both ensure food self-sufficiency and to hasten the terraformation of the planet._

 _ **Government:**_

 _Formerly, Terra Nova was comprised of 19 administrative divisions formally known as 'Autonomous Communities'. These political units were governed by regional councils, which served as forums of cooperation for the municipalities and townships located within each division. The colony's "central" government consisted simply of a committee made up of one (1) representative from each of the 19 divisions, known as the Central Cabinet. The Central Cabinet held no veto power, nor any function relating to oversight; de jure, it's only function was to serve as a liaison between the colony and the Systems Alliance; de facto, it served more as an advisory forum, with its authority and power highly dependent on the willingness of the Autonomous Communities to cede it had any sort of sway over them. Though seemingly convoluted, the political system emerged from the unwillingness of the colonists to be subjected to the conditions they had left back on Earth._

 _However, a series of reforms in the mid-2170s saw the elimination of the Autonomous Community system, after much criticism – both internal and external – alleging that the devolved, asymmetric nature of the colony's government rendered it unable to respond effectively to the various issues affecting the colony, among others. Following a referendum, and a transfer of authority under an Alliance-backed Provisional Government, the colony now adheres to a more 'traditional' governmental system, with a tiered central colonial administration overseeing 21 administrative divisions (renamed 'Districts')._

 _ **Education:**_

 _At the present, Terra Nova's Department of Education is responsible for administering primary and secondary education on the planet, as is the standard on all Alliance worlds. The colony has historically had a problem with "brain drain". A significant amount of its young people – including a large percentage of the highest academic achievers – proceed to leave the colony after completing their final round of secondary education, and do not return. This trend for young people to seek tertiary education, as well as higher salaries and better working conditions – mainly in higher income colonies such as Bekenstein or Elysium – is having serious impact on the economic development of Terra Nova. As of 2186, the colony does not possess an institute of research or of higher learning, apart from a number of technical/trade schools._

 _For many years, the combination of poor economic performance and a precarious political situation precluded discussion concerning the establishment of a university. Following the period of normalization and resultant stabilization, the issue has come to the forefront. A number of local officials have since promised to hold a colony-wide referendum on the matter._

* * *

 _ **Therum**_ _– Artemis Tau, Knossos System_

 _Colony Founded: 2167 CE_

 _Population: 34,901_

 _Capital: Nova Yekaterinburg_

 _A distant but rich industrial world, Therum was settled in the late 2160s by the Russian Federation. Owing to its substantial mineral wealth, the colony has grown into a prominent hub in the Artemis Tau cluster, becoming a major supplier of both raw materials and manufactured goods to the colony on nearby Proteus, as well as a net industrial exporter to various other systems. The colony's growth was further accelerated by the construction of an Eldefell-Ashland Energy (EAE) refining facility in 2174, which is the largest building on the entire planet in terms of acres covered._

 _Various unearthed core samples rich with the fossils of simple, silicon-based organisms indicate Therum was more habitable in the past than it is at present. The consensus among xenoarchaeologists is that this explains the large number of Prothean ruins dotting the planet, most of which have since been looted by mining corporations. The mistreatment of the archaeological sites led to a scandal in 2172, when the Citadel Council condemned the Systems Alliance's inaction on the matter; this, in turn, prompted the Alliance to impose heavy penalties on Therum's colonial government, various corporations, and, most notably, the Russian Federation back on Earth, which was slapped with a 10-year moratorium on colonial bidding rights. The resulting political backlash was characterized by unusually belligerent rhetoric from the Russian Federation and various Earth-based states._

* * *

 _ **Tiptree –**_ _Atalide Sigma, Algol System_

 _Colony Founded: 2159 CE_

 _Population: 13,020_

 _Capital: Easdale_

 _Although the Protheans may have visited the planet in prehistoric times (based on the discovery of the ruins of an ancient space station orbiting a gas giant in the same star system), the world was uninhabited when first discovered in 2157. Located in a system solely accessible through the Arcturus Relay, the planet remained uninhabited until 2159, out of political considerations arising from the First Contact War._

 _Despite being a garden world, the colony saw relatively little immigration, owing ostensibly to its location in an isolated, 'dead-end' system. Because of the world's fertile soils and temperate climate, the colony is thoroughly agrarian, with the majority of its population consisting of freeholding farmers. The colony's main exports are wheat, barely, olive oil, honey, and almonds: in addition, the world is renowned for its quality-oriented brewing industry, which makes use of the large amounts of wheat and barley harvested._

 _At the behest of the Alliance – and in exchange for various grants and subsidies –, a nature preserve was established on Tiptree's southern latitudes in 2175. Removed from any settlements or inhabited areas, the preserve is notable for being host to various transplanted animal species native to Earth, who are either critically endangered or extinct-in-the-wild. The preserve – administered and monitored by members of the Alliance's Bureau of Wilderness Preservation – is part of a pilot program attempting to see the restoration of Earth's ecosystems, which suffered major deterioration in the centuries prior to spaceward expansion._

* * *

 _ **Tyr –**_ _Exodus Cluster, Asgard System_

 _Colony Founded: 2156 CE_

 _Population: 47,000_

 _Capital: Kaldidalur_

 _While it possesses an atmosphere primarily composed of nitrogen and ethane, Tyr is compositionally similar to Earth. An ideal target for terraforming, it was nevertheless relegated to a support role owing to the presence of habitable Terra Nova in the same system. Despite this, the two colonies share significant political and economic ties: Terra Nova provides 73% of Tyr's agricultural imports, while Tyr has become the largest supplier (per tonnage) of raw materials to the garden world. In addition, the two came together to form the Asgardian Bi-Colonial Development Association (ABDA) in 2176, an inter-colonial compact authorized by the Systems Alliance Parliament founded with the aim of maintaining the free interchange of goods between the member colonies, as well as coordinating mutual economic development and strengthening political ties._

 _Because of its mineral richness, various corporations have constructed extensive mining, refining, and manufacturing facilities on the planet, boosting the development of the world. Combined with the recently-discovered platinum lodes of Terra Nova, the resources produced are driving the development of the local hydrogen fuel-cell industry. The Asgard System now supplies nearly 5% of the Alliance market's demand._

 _The steady pace of development has endowed Tyr's government with the resources to once again address the question of terraforming. In 2184, the colonial legislature passed a bill aiming for the terraforming of the planet in increments, with 10 year milestones. The estimated time for the completion of the process is ~170 years. Since the passage of the law at the colonial level, the ABDA has lobbied for increased federal support from the Arcturus Parliament, with the argument that intensive Alliance aid in the venture could reduce the time to an estimated 120 years._


	19. U

**Uqbar –** _Epilson Piscium, Hansa System_

 _Colony Founded: 2171 CE_

 _Population: 5,883_

 _Capital: Gandahar/Ciudad Tenabo (see below)_

 _Following the planet's discovery in 2164, a number of less-developed nations on Earth (numbering 13) came together to form the Non-Aligned Spatial Expansion Bloc (NASEB), in order to bid the Systems Alliance for colonization rights as one united front, rather than as individual states. The organization argued that the Alliance's history of granting colonization rights to only other developed nations, or to those that had been signatory parties in the Alliance charter, amounted to "neo-colonialism" and "an egregious manifestation of modern imperialism/racism"._

 _In what has since been decried as an appeasement move, the Alliance granted the rights to the settlement of Uqbar to the NASEB, causing much controversy among Earth's nations and various colonies. As famously summarized by the governor of Bekenstein at the time: "These states… have neither the resources, the technical expertise, nor the long-term planning to allow them to better the conditions of their populace back on Earth, much less establish a functional colony light-years away."_

 _The subsequent colonization of the planet saw a number of major setbacks involving funding and political in-fighting (mainly regarding the exact number of colonists each state would contribute to the venture). To make matters worse, the disparate nature of the settler's origins caused much ethnoreligious tension, which forced the fledging colonial administration to establish two capital cities in order to – once again – appease the various factions drawn up along ethnic lines. Although Uqbar possesses plentiful resources and a generally favorable location, the colony has one of the lowest standards of living in Alliance space, coming in just behind those on Fehl Prime. Pervasive corruption, a high poverty rate, a poor educational system, and inadequate infrastructure have all led to Uqbar being classified as a "developing colony": that is, a colony with a less developed industrial base and a low development index._

* * *

 **Uranus –** _Local Cluster, Solar System_

 _Colony Founded: 2152 CE_

 _Population: 371,518_

 _Capital: Sakharov Station_

 _The human presence on Uranus dates back to the late 2120s, when a research station (Muaedoin Base) was jointly constructed between the UNAS and Unified Korea on Umbriel in order to research the Wunda crater, and the cause for its unusual albedo/brightness. However, by 2132, the station had been abandoned due to funding considerations back on Earth; subsequently, Uranus remained unvisited for almost two decades, until the first FTL mass effect was developed. Shortly afterwards, a scramble for the ice giant ensued, with various corporations vying for its easily accessible helium-3 reserves. Within five years of settlement, Uranus had overtaken its main rival, Saturn, as the top helium-3 producer in Alliance space, a position it continues to hold to the present day. In addition to helium-3 mining, the colony is a significant center for starship repair and manufacturing. Due to its status as a flag of convenience, Uranus has the second-largest starship registry in Alliance space, just behind Oliveira._

 _The majority of Uranus' population is concentrated on artificial habitats located on three of the planet's satellites. Sakharov Station on Oberon is by far the largest settlement, with a population of over 103,600, and serves as the seat of Uranus' colonial administration. A smaller amount of individuals – numbering in the hundreds – inhabit a number of orbital stations that serve as mining/refueling points._


	20. V

**Vielago –** _Omicron Velorum (Vela), Altiburus System_

 _Colony Founded: 2166 CE (re-established in 2176)_

 _Population: 5,700_

 _Capital: Caussimon_

 _Located in the heart of human space, Vielago is a tropical garden world with 82% ocean cover. Renowned for its pristine beaches, the first colony relied on tourism to generate most of its economic activity, accounting for 60% of its GDP, as well as providing jobs for more than half of the colony's original population of 7,000. From 2168 to 2173, Vielago was also home to a branch of Bekenstein-based Eklektik Sol Studios, making the colony popular with a variety of musicians who regularly went there to record while taking advantage of the climate and surroundings. A visit by asari idol Pelessaria brought the relatively obscure world into the galactic spotlight for several days in 2170, drawing in large crowds as well._

 _Beginning in March 2173, a series of eruptions at the Mt. Fournier volcano sent pyroclastic flows and ash falls across a wide area close to the old capital settlement, Cinsaut. It became immediately clear the main settlement and surrounding suburbs were in grave danger. Most residents were evacuated, but were allowed back less than a month later. On 2 May 2172, a massive eruption produced pyroclastic surges that killed 10 people, and nearly reached the colony's spaceport on the outskirts of the main settlement. As a result, the entire population of Cinsaut was evacuated by the Alliance Navy's 42nd Flotilla._

 _The subsequent eruptions destroyed most of the settlement, burying it under 1.5 metres of ash. As a result, the entire colony was abandoned, and the area around the ruins declared an exclusion zone due to the continuing volcanism._

 _The colony was re-established in 2176, with the founding of a new township – Caussimon – on a different location. While tourism has once again become the dominant industry on the planet, the colonial administration has taken a pro-active approach to diversifying the local economy, adopting incentives to encourage off-world financial business._

* * *

 **Venus –** _Local Cluster, Solar System_

 _Colony Founded: 2108 CE_

 _Population: 864 (permanent)_

 _Capital: Nevis Base_

 _Five years after the founding of the first permanent settlement on Mars, a handful of aerostat settlements were established on Venus. Its reputation as an inhospitable world – with molten temperatures, sulfuric acid clouds, rampant volcanism, and crushing atmosphere of carbon dioxide – has precluded extensive development, despite the ability of the planet's atmosphere to sustain life at cloud-top level, where conditions are much more amenable. As a result, the colony's economy is small, mixed, and vulnerable. Although GDP per capita is close to average for some of the more well-developed colonies, the economy is critically dependent on substantial support from the Systems Alliance: the largest employers are the various levels of government administration, including a number of Alliance-sponsored research stations. A number of firms and companies have expressed an interest in the idea of establishing resource extraction operations on-world at various times; however, the sheer expense of any project has rendered these efforts moot._

 _The Venusian population peaked in 2130, when it boasted a total population of more than 2,100: numbers have decreased dramatically since then, due to high levels of emigration. Like Mercury, Venus has no representation in the Arcturus Parliament. Due to its small population size, the colony is classified as a dependency, administered by the Alliance's Office of Insular Affairs: the planet's affairs are overseen by a career civil servant, who in turn receives input from a group of seven locally-elected aldermen (the Venusian Citizen's Affairs Committee). The laws of the Systems Alliance generally apply, although the colony has some legislation of its own._


	21. W

**Watson –** _Sigurd's Cradle, Skepsis System_

 _Colony Founded: 2166 CE_

 _Population: 405,902_

 _Population (Outposts on Franklin): 2,651 (permanent)_

 _Capital: Forbes_

 _Despite the classification as a garden world, Watson itself trends colder than Earth, with a temperate zone measuring about 30 degrees latitude in either direction from the equator. Its biodiversity is notable for not easily corresponding to Earth's evolutionary eras, with some landmasses inhabited by species that resemble terrestrial mammals, while others are overrun by arthropod analogues._

 _The planet is infamous in human space due to a controversial, bureaucratic snafu which saw several of Earth's nations heavily contest the rights to colonization of the world. The controversy had its inception in 2160, when the Systems Alliance awarded rights of settlement for the Elysium colony to the UNAS, a move which resulted in much resentment against the Alliance among several of Earth's states._

 _Following the discovery of the Skepsis system and its bodies in 2162, the customary proceedings were initiated to determine the granting of colonization rights; almost immediately, the proceedings became wallowed in drawn-out controversy and litigation, which also manifested in the form of popular demonstrations on Earth and the deterioration of international relations. In the end, the Systems Alliance brokered the so-called Reykjavik Compromise, allowing limited colonization from the three parties most invested in the venture: the UNAS, the EU, and the Chinese Federation. Per the compromise, different settlements would be established on-world, each comprised of populations from each respective bloc (although still under one colonial administration). While the move was hailed as a victory in that it addressed the conflicts between Earth's three major superpowers, a number of other states would continue to fight the decision both in the courts and through informal channels for years to come._

 _Largely in part to the simultaneous backing from three of Earth's most influential nations, Watson from the outset saw high levels of immigration and investment, enabling it to flourish in spite of its location in the Terminus Systems, making it a rare island of stability and security in a volatile area. Persistent lobbying from its three 'parent' states ensured a high frequency of Alliance patrols, and even the construction of a large Alliance base on the planet's moon, Franklin, in 2068. In a fashion similar to nearby Cyrene, Watson's economy is centered around its status as a trading_ _entrepôt and logistics hub_ , _serving as a gateway for Terminus goods into Citadel space and vice versa._

* * *

 **Wakehiko –** _Argumosa Cluster, Boddhidharma System_

 _Colony Founded: 2161 CE_

 _Population: 98,175_

 _Capital: Kamikawa_

 _A temperate, terrestrial world located along the lucrative Bekenstein-Hwanin shipping lane, Wakehiko is unique in that it possesses five natural satellites; as a result, the planet is much famed for its scenic views._

 _Settled by the state of Japan, the levels of immigration to the colony were overwhelming, as settlers rushed to the planet seeking economic opportunity. By 2165 – just four years after the foundation of the colony -, the number of on-world inhabitants had reached of over 71,000, putting a significant strain on the colony's developing infrastructure. What followed was a rift between the colonial administration and the Japanese government: the Japanese leadership was convinced their own country was overcrowded, and encouraged citizens to emigrate. On the other hand, the colonial government attempted to slow the trickle of newcomers, in order to consolidate ongoing development in the name of planned, efficient, and sustainable growth. What followed was a cooling of relations between the two, which further deteriorated when Wakehiko's legislature restricted the number of off-world immigrants for a set number of years, backed by recommendations from the Alliance's Economic & Human Development Bureau (who, in turn, were spurred on by the desire to prevent further incidents like those in New Canton)._

 _As mentioned above, Wakehiko's economy has benefitted extensively from its position on a vital trade lane; as such, the colony maintains an extensive network of trade agreements with neighboring colonies. Re-exports from Bekenstein and from turian space by way of Hwanin account for 41% of Wakehiko's total sales to other colonies, as of 2184._


End file.
